Rexhep Selimi

Rexhep Selimi (born 15 March 1971) is a Kosovo-Albanian politician and former parliamentary leader of Vetëvendosje. He was also one of the founders and high-ranking commandants of the Kosovo Liberation Army. In 2020, he was indicted for war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Kosovo War.

Early life Rexhep was born in the Village of Açarevë, Skënderaj in the Drenica Valley and completed his primary education in Klinë and his secondary education at the "Luigj Gurakuqi" High School in Klinë. He pursued his university studies at the Faculty of Philology at the University of Pristina, majoring in Albanian Language and Literature.

Involvement in Kosovo Liberation Army Influenced by his older cousin, Mujë Krasniqi, Rexhep Selimi, along with other patriots like Adem Jashari, founded the KLA in the early 1990s. Due to Selimi's frequent resistance activities, his family faced severe harassment by the authorities. On January 13, 1994, police surrounded the home of Halil Krasniqi, demanding to know the whereabouts of his son, Mujë Krasniqi. Despite brutal torture in front of his family, Halil refused to disclose any information. The police also mistreated Mujë's 13-year-old brother, Avni.

The following day, Serbian police officers captured Mujë Krasniqi and his comrade, Xhavit Shala, after further torture. Mujë was then forced into hiding, where he maintained secret connections with key figures like Adem Jashari, Sylejman Selimi, and Rexhep Selimi.

On November 28, 1997, during the funeral of the teacher Halit Geci in Llaushë, Rexhep Selimi, along with Mujë Krasniqi and Daut Haradinaj, made the first public appearance of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). In front of tens of thousands of mourners, Selimi, masked, publicly read a manifesto outlining the KLA's militant program. This event marked the KLA's emergence as an organized resistance force and was a significant moment in Kosovo's struggle against Serbian oppression. The appearance symbolized the beginning of open armed resistance, playing a crucial role in mobilizing support within the population for Kosovo's independence.

On September 22, 1998, during a large-scale Serbian offensive against the Drenica Operational Zone, Selimi and Krasniqi, along with other key KLA commanders like Sami Lushtaku and Sylejman Selimi, led the resistance in Central Drenica. Despite the overwhelming Serbian forces, armed with heavy weaponry and supported by motorized units, the KLA's resistance was fierce and unyielding. However, on September 27, 1998, the Serbian forces demonstrated their brutality by massacring 26 members of the Deliu family in Abri, showing their frustration, at not being able to break the KLA's resistance.

Rexhep Selimi and his cousin Mujë Krasniqi maintained a close relationship until he was killed in the harsh winter of 1998 during a fierce battle on the Pashtrik mountains along with 32 other KLA fighters in an ambush by Serbian forces.

In November 2020 he was arrested for charges of crimes against humanity and war crime filed before the Kosovo Specialist Chambers. The four defendants ( Selimi, Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, and Jakup Krasniqi) were accused of pursuing a policy of torture and murder against civilians suspected of opposing the UÇK during and after the Kosovo War. All four men have pleaded not guilty and the trial opened on April 4, 2023.